As part of their continued effort to invest in the Memphis community, the Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation will contribute $25,000 to each of the following local nonprofit organizations: ArtsMemphis, Church Health Center, Exchange Club Family Center, The Leadership Academy, Memphis Child Advocacy Center, Memphis Leadership Foundation, Mid-South Food Bank, MIFA, STREETS Ministries, The Works, Youth United Way and for the first time, Girls, Inc.

This round of funding, in addition to a $750,000 grant to Memphis Athletic Ministries and $200,000 to Grizzlies Academy during 2009, takes the Grizzlies Foundation total giving to over $22 Million.

After a welcome from Ken Bennett, STREETS founder and executive director, this year’s grants will be distributed. Foundation board members, Elliot Perry, Grizzlies local owner, and Pete Pranica, Grizzlies television play-by-play announcer, will then speak to those in attendance about the TEAM UP youth mentoring initiative, which has been the focus of the Grizzlies Foundation since its inception in 2004.

During the Holiday breakfast reception, the Grizzlies Foundation will feature two new elements to their mentoring recruitment efforts that they will soon release, including a preview of their new website that they will be launching early in 2010 and a new TEAM UP mentoring video that will be made available to individuals and organizations to promote youth mentoring.

The Grizzlies Foundation recruits and refers mentors, provides training and technical assistance to mentoring programs and actively raises awareness throughout the community. To learn more about the Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation and how to become part of the TEAM UP youth mentoring initiative e-mail mentor@grizzlies.com, call (901) 205-TEAM or visit teamupmemphis.org.